Rain Cover for Electronic Instruments

ABSTRACT

Provided is a rain cover for electronic instruments. A joint metal fitting for engaging with an electronic instrument is integrally provided on the rain cover at an inner side thereof, and a shoulder belt or an adjustment metal fitting for a belt is integrally provided on the rain cover at an outer side thereof. This configuration enables the instrument to be carried on the shoulder belt even on a rainy day and prevents entrance of rain water through the shoulder belt or the belt attachment portion. It is possible to use a waterproof shorter belt to connect the metal fittings. This configuration more effectively maintains the strength of the rain cover at its upper portion against the weight of the electronic apparatus. When the instrument comes off a metal fitting, thereby preventing the belt and the rain cover from falling off the user&#39;s shoulder thus eliminating falling accidents of instruments.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to rain covers for electronic instruments such as television cameras and portable mixers, and particularly to a rain cover capable of completely preventing rainwater from entering into the electronic instruments on rainy days.

BACKGROUND ART

Generally, electronic instruments are incompatible with water and thus essentially require measures against moisture during use and storage. Measures for protection from rain are particularly important for TV cameras and related devices, which are very heavy and large, for news gathering and on-location shooting, because oftentimes their use outdoors on rainy days is mandatory. Additionally, the heaviness of these kinds of equipment necessitates a belt to sling the equipment on the shoulder, wherein a serious problem of rainwater entering into the equipment through rain-cover openings that are provided for attachment of the shoulder belt has arisen.

Investigations have shown that the problems with rainwater invasion are that rainwater will of course enter through the openings, and that it will travel along the shoulder belt, or else the moisture soaking into the shoulder belt will travel through the belt, passing to the electronic instrument. Accordingly, addressing these two issues is the present invention.

Conventional art dedicated to water prevention includes the patent literature enumerated below. Such conventional art causes rain to flow over a hood so as to prevent the rain from seeping into a lens from a rear portion of the hood. Yet there is not literature to be found about water prevention at the openings for attachment of shoulder belts.

-   Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Pat. App. No. 2002-55387 -   Patent Document 2: Japanese Utility Model Publication No. H06-14212

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Problem Invention is to Solve

To date, when on the move and an electronic instrument is used in the rain, owing to the heavy weight of the device, illustrated in FIG. 4 a handle 2 provided on the camera is held in the hand or the metal fittings on either end of the shoulder belt are hooked onto catches 3 on the device body and the shoulder belt is hung over the shoulder to transport the device.

In this regard, the rain cover is usually provided with openings 4 for attachment of the shoulder belt. There has been such a problem that after attachment of the shoulder belt, rainwater seeps in through the openings 4. In order to prevent entrance of water through the openings 4, rubber or the like was used to simply bind the vicinity of the circumference of each opening 4. The shoulder belt is usually made of nylon tape or webbing, which is oftentimes knitted to secure its strength. However, such tape has short fibers and thus easily contains water. There have been such problems that such belt containing rainwater easily becomes ragged and that the moisture travels through the belt over to the instrument main body.

Further, the conventional method of hanging the electronic instrument on a shoulder belt is only that of a joint between the shoulder-belt attachment catches 3 as shown in FIG. 4 and joint metal fittings 9. Thus, the joint might break due to vibrations or a change in the joint angle of the joint metal fittings 9 or movement thereof. In this case, there has been such a problem that since the cover and the belt are not integral with one another, the belt slips and falls off the shoulder on the ground along with the integral electronic instrument, resulting in expensive damage to the instrument. The present invention is provided to solve this problem.

Means for Resolving the Problems

The present invention provides a rain cover for electronic instruments that integrally attaches metal fittings to front and back surfaces of the rain cover. A method for producing the rain cover includes: temporarily fixing a shoulder-belt attachment metal fitting for the electronic instrument main body and a shoulder-belt receiving metal fitting to materials thermally fusable by a high frequency welder such as tarpaulins; and integrating the thus prepared materials with one another by thermal fusing of a high frequency welder with the rain cover disposed between the materials. The shoulder-belt receiving metal fitting is provided outside the rain cover while a joint metal fitting on the material thermally fusable by a high frequency welder is provided on a corresponding portion of the interior of the rain cover, whereby all the metal fittings are rendered integral with the rain cover by thermal fusing.

Alternatively, it is possible to provide a short belt (hereinafter referred to as strap) made of a waterproof material (that may be moisture permeable) so that the metal fittings are attached to the ends of the strap, and that the strap and the rain cover are integrally attached to one another, with the shoulder-belt receiving metal fitting provided outside the rain cover and the joint metal fitting provided inside the rain cover.

While the strap is usually selected from a wide range of materials of synthetic fiber and the like that is knitted to secure durability, a belt that is waterproofed after tape formation or a tape made of a waterproof fiber (such as a tarpaulin) is used.

This strap attached with the metal fittings is formed integrally with the rain cover. Alternatively, it is possible to form an opening on the rain cover and attach the strap to the rain cover material by sewing while preventing entrance of water. While there is no limitation to the method for forming an opening on the rain cover and attaching the strap to the rain cover material by sewing while preventing entrance of water, it is essential to attach a waterproof shielding tape to the sewn portion at the belt-attached portion.

Effects of the Invention

As has been described hereinbefore, the present invention provides the rain cover integrally with shoulder-belt attachment metal fittings or straps attached with metal fittings. Thus, setting the shoulder belt by passing it through the shoulder-belt receiving metal fittings, which are integral with the rain cover, prevents rainwater from entering into the instrument. This configuration also secures that even if one of the metal fittings inside the rain cover comes off the instrument, the rain cover and the shoulder belt remain integral with one another and thus the shoulder belt and the rain cover will not fall off the shoulder, with the instrument dangling inside the rain cover with one of the metal fittings off the instrument, thereby preventing the instrument from falling on the ground.

The prevention of falling is rather preferable since oftentimes electronic instruments fail when they are fallen on or made to hit against the ground. Additionally, the present invention is practical and finds a wide range of applications since the rain cover can be used with or without the shoulder belt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a frontal view of a rain cover attached integrally with metal fittings according to the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating temporary fixing of a joint metal fitting to a material thermally fusable by a high frequency welder according to embodiment 1, and FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating temporary fixing of a shoulder-belt receiving metal fitting to a material thermally fusable by a high frequency welder according to embodiment 1.

FIG. 3 is a frontal view of a rain cover according to embodiment 2.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a conventional rain cover attached with a shoulder belt.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Preferred embodiments of the present invention (rain covers for a television camera) will be described by referring to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Embodiment 1

While any material may be used for the rain cover insofar as it is waterproof, a moisture permeable and waterproof material such as “Dual-Func” or “Breath-a-Tec” (registered trademarks of Toray Coatex Co., Ltd.) is preferable for its lightness in weight, flexibility, and water repellency. The water prevention is complete by covering all the seams with shielding tape from inside the rain cover. In this embodiment, shoulder-belt receiving metal fittings 10 and joint metal fittings 9 are attached integrally to the rain cover (FIGS. 2A and 2B).

As shown, the metal fittings 9 and 10 are temporarily fixed by sewing or taping respectively to material 15, 16 such as PVC tarpaulin that is high-frequency-welder thermally fusable, and then the thus prepared materials are integrated with one another by thermal fusing of a high frequency welder with the rain cover disposed between the materials. As a result, referring to FIG. 1, each shoulder-belt receiving metal fitting 10 is provided outside the rain cover while each joint metal fitting 9 on the material 15 thermally fusable by a high frequency welder is provided on a corresponding portion of the interior of the rain cover, whereby all the metal fittings are rendered integral with the rain cover by thermal fusing. A rain cover of such configuration eliminates the need for openings for attachment of metal fittings, which in turn eliminates the concern of water prevention at the openings. Additionally, providing the upper and lower metal fittings at the same portion is preferable in terms of strength because the weight of the electronic instrument can be firmly upheld.

Embodiment 2

Embodiment 2 will be described by referring to FIG. 3. This embodiment employs such a method that uses short belts 7 each with a receiving metal fitting and a joint metal fitting provided at both ends, and integrates each short belt 7 and an upper opening of the rain cover with one another by sewing followed by shielding. In this regard, it is essential that the material of the short belts 7 be, in particular, a tarpaulin of vinyl chloride, olefin, or the like, or a completely waterproof material. The shoulder belt and the short belts may be of the same material.

This will be detailed below.

Referring to FIG. 3, each short belt 7 (hereinafter referred to as a strap) is 15 to 20 cm long and 3 to 5 cm wide and has, at both ends, a joint metal fitting 9 for the instrument and a shoulder-belt receiving metal fitting 10. The joint metal fitting 9 engages with the shoulder-belt attachment metal fitting 3 shown in FIG. 4. The joint metal fitting 9 may have a hole suitable for engagement as shown in FIG. 2A, or may be a lobster clasp. At the other end of the strap 7, a length adjustment metal fitting is provided for adjusting the length of the shoulder belt. Thus, the strap 7 may be an adjustable belt with ring-shaped metal fittings such as D-shaped rings or a buckle having a single pin. It is also possible to provide at one side a strap with adjustment metal fittings and at the other side a long shoulder belt without metal fittings.

The procedure for sewing the straps and the rain cover in embodiment 2 includes: providing sleeved openings 5 for shorter-belt attachment at two portions of an upper portion of the rain cover; inserting straps through the openings; sewing, from inside, overlaps of the circumferences of the openings and the straps; and covering seams with shielding tape (5×) in the manner shown in FIG. 3, thus completing water prevention.

Thus, the straps are integrally attached to the rain cover without openings on the upper portion thereof, thereby preventing rain water from entering through the rain cover and preventing damage to the instrument.

In the above-described manner, the completely waterproofed straps 7, which serve as shoulder-belt attachment members, are provided at two portions of the upper portion of the rain cover. Referring to FIG. 3, a shoulder belt is attached to the shoulder-belt receiving metal fittings 10 at the tips of the straps attached to this rain cover and adjusted to a suitable length, while inside the rain cover, the joint metal fittings 9 are hung on the attachment metal fittings of the camera main body, thereby making the rain-cover attached electronic instrument movable on the shoulder belt. Additionally, since there are no openings on the upper portion of the rain cover, the instrument will not be adversely affected by rain water.

The present invention will be further described by referring to an embodiment but will not be limited by the above and following embodiments. While the shoulder-belt attachment metal fittings have been described in embodiments 1 and 2, it will be appreciated that a shoulder belt may not necessarily be used and that such an application is possible that the rain cover is simply placed over the instrument to hang the inner metal fittings of the rain cover onto the joint metal fittings of the instrument.

Embodiment 3

In this embodiment, the rain cover is in the form of a freely openable and closable bag with the use of a zipper on the lower portion of the rain cover. Generally, many rain covers are open on the lower portion. However, a closable configuration is preferred in terms of water prevention. Still, in operation, the camera would be placed on a tripod as shown in FIG. 3 and it is oftentimes necessary to replace charged batteries and films, which necessitates five sliders 8 at least on the lower portion (from 11 a to 11 b). Since the rain cover needs to be opened in some cases at two portions C and D shown in FIG. 3, what is important in the method for attaching the sliders 8 is the orientation thereof in order to secure open portions (two outlets provided by separating the zipper) and closed portions (provided by integrating two teeth of zipper inside the rain cover to run as a single tooth).

Specifically, as seen from the left in FIG. 3, it is necessary to provide a slider 8(1) with an open portion on the left, a slider 8(2) with an open portion on the right, a slider 8(3) with the open portion on the left, a slider 8(4) with an open portion on the right, and a slider 8(5) with the open portion on the left.

A rain cover of such configuration, when used on a rainy day, can be closed except for portions that need to be open, thereby preventing excessive rain water from entering into the instrument from below. Additionally, the zipper is attached such that the sliders are oriented to secure openings at desired portions. This provides for an application with a tripod position C shown in FIG. 3 open, and at the time of replacement of charged batteries and films, enables a hand to insert through a position D shown in FIG. 3 for replacement by outwardly moving the sliders (8(2) and 8(3)) at the position D. Thus, such rain cover realizes substantially completely waterproof work on a rainy day.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention has an industrial applicability in that the joint metal fittings for the shoulder belt are integrally attached to the rain cover, which, on a rainy day, prevents rain water from seeping into the electronic instrument through the rain cover, the shoulder belt, or the like. When one of the connections between the instrument and the metal fittings inside the rain cover should be broken while the shoulder belt is attached to the receiving metal fittings provided integrally on the rain cover, the instrument will incline within the rain cover but the shoulder belt will not be separated from the rain cover, thereby preventing the instrument from falling on the ground. Thus, the present invention is useful for preservation of instruments. In this regard, the zipper portion at the lower portion of the rain cover is prevented from being completely opened, which helps prevent falling of the instrument when the instrument is inclined. 

1. A rain cover for electronic instruments, the electronic-instrument rain cover comprising: a joint metal fitting, for interlocking with the electronic instrument, provided integrally with the rain cover along an inner side thereof; a shoulder-belt receiving metal fitting provided integrally with the rain cover along an outer side thereof, wherein: the rain cover is made of Gore-Tex® or a waterproof material; seams in the rain cover are covered with shielding tape; and the rain cover is free of openings where the metal fittings are attached in the cover upper portion.
 2. A rain cover for electronic instruments, the electronic-instrument rain cover comprising: straps, using PVC tarpaulin or a completely waterproof material, one end of each of which is provided with a joint metal fitting for interlocking with an electronic instrument and the other end of each of which is provided with a shoulder-belt receiving metal fitting, provided in at least two openings in an upper portion of the rain cover, with it being sewn onto the straps so as to shut the cover from opening upward, wherein: seams in the rain cover are covered with shielding tape, thus rendering the straps and the rain cover integral with each other so as to be free of openings to the exterior.
 3. The electronic-instrument rain cover according to claim 1, wherein the lowermost portion of the rain cover is configured to close into the form of a bag by means of a zipper, the zipper provided with at least five sliders with their orientations alternating contrary to each other.
 4. The electronic-instrument rain cover according to claim 2, wherein the lowermost portion of the rain cover is configured to close into the form of a bag by means of a zipper, the zipper provided with at least five sliders with their orientations alternating contrary to each other. 